Helping Hungry College Students

Dec. 8, 2015

To the Editor:

Sara Goldrick-Rab and Katharine M. Broton (“Hungry, Homeless and in College,” Op-Ed, Dec. 4) shine light on the sobering reality that many community college students suffer from hunger. You cite a poll in which one in five community college students said they had gone hungry in the last 30 days because of lack of money. Students at all types of American colleges and universities face similar plights.

The most obvious solution is to make low-income students eligible for benefits from the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly known as the food stamp program. Under the current federal law, students enrolled in college at least half-time are generally ineligible for SNAP.

If we want America to compete effectively in the world economy, all qualified students should be able to attend and complete college. To do so, they first must be able to eat.